Back from a disaster zone

So many memories and experiences to write about. I'm just back from spending 18 days in an earthquake disaster zone. My first big disaster. Thousands of people without homes. Thousands dead, some crushed when the buildings they were in collapsed, like pancakes on top of them. Others buried alive in landslides. I met some incredible people. Survivors like 82 year old Rosna who is all alone. Her house is destroyed. Her kids are trying to get her to Jakarta but they are poor and she doesn't want to become a burden. She cries as she tells me this. Survivors like Yuhendri who lost his wife when she ran back into the house to save their 6 month old son.

And the aid workers. Like David from Britain who for years has dashed away from his home life to help others in need. Like Kurniawan and other Indonesians from across the country who come to volunteer their time. They leave jobs, families and friends behind to help strangers they also consider family.

But it's the kids who hit me the most. Some still aren't sleeping through the night. Others aren't eating. But they are starting to laugh again. I shared many a giggle with the little ones, trying to make myself understood. It isn't much, but if I can get the kids forgetting about the hell they've been through, even for just a little while, well, in my books, I've had a pretty good day.